thomas



(No Model.) 3 sheetssheet 1 J. D." THOMAS.

l MANUPAGTURB 0F GGVERED 0R INSULATED WIRE. No. 271,750. Patented Feb.6,1883.

71. PETERS. bdo-MNM. Walli'lgbn. Il c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet?.

J. D. THOMAS.

- MANUPAGTURB OP'GOVBRBD 0R INSULATED WIRE.

' `No. 271,750. Patented Feb. 6,1883.

N4 PETERS. Pnemmhegnpm. wmingmn. ne

(No Model.) s Sheetssneen 3.-

' J. D. THOMAS.

MANUFAGTURE 0F GOVERED 0R INSULATBD WIRE.

No. 271,750. Patented Peb.6, 1883.

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" UNITED, STATES PATENT EErcE.

JOSEPHD. THOMAS, OF NEW YORK, N.,Y., ASSIGNOR TO LEONARD F. REQUA,

OF SAME PLACE. l

MANUFACTURE oF COVERED oe INSULATED wies.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,750, dated February 6, 1883. Application filed March 1, 1882. (No model.)

To all 'whom it may concern Be it `known that I, JOSEPH D. THOMAS, o the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lm provements in the Manufacture of Covered or Insulated Wires, of `which the following is a specification.

Wires -for velectrical purposes, as is wellknown, have been covered with rubber or rubro ber-1ike coatings forinsulation and protection in a variety of ways. One method is by plunging or dipping the wire in a bath of the dissolved or plastic covering material. Another is to wind spirally onto the wire anunvulcanized'strip of rubber, which is afterward vnlcaniZed. A later method passes a series of cosely-adjoinin g wires simultaneouslybetween two unvulcanized rubber sheets, which are then drawn between grooved rollers, which 2o press or form the sheets around each wire, and

at the same time sever the sheet between each two wires.

`My present invention includes an improved mode of covering wires and improved machinery -therefor. The mode has some relation to that last named, but is an improvement thereon in that by my machine I cover a series of wires -at the same time, each wire independently, with two `separate longitudinal strips 3o of rubber, each stripghaving a width equal to` halfthe circumference ofthe wire, which strips .are curved around the wire andjoined together at the edges by passage between mnltigrooved rolls, whereby much more perfect andaccurate work is accomplished, and one set ot' rolls may be-formed to cover a whole series of differently-sized wires simultaneously, which is not the case with the former system. Il also .apply two successive coatings of this kind to 4o the wire, with an intermediate windingoftarred `or cemented tape or cord between'the two rubg ber coverings.

The covering apparatus consists brieliy of two successive series of grooved rollers, with separate bobbins carrying the narrow rubber strips, mounted in operative relation with the separate groovesof the rollers, and `withtapewinding devices between the two sets of rollers, whereby the wires are drawn through the 5o lirstset of rolls, and are covered with one rubber coat, then wound with the intermediate tape, and tinally covered with asecond rubber coat inpassing through the second set of rolls, which operations are all performed ina cont-inuous,successive manner. The forming-grooves of the rollers have cutting-edges on each side, and relief or vent grooves are Vformed on either side of the cuttingdges, so

that the strips are pressed and formed ac curately around the wires,and the surplus cut oli V6c at the junction-line and allowed free escape at the relief-grooves, so that very perfect and rapid work is performed. The several features here outlined embody and express the main points of my invention, which also includes a number of minor features, as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings annexed, Figure l represents a piece of wire covered according to my invention, with the coveringstripped oi' for a 7o portion of its length to illustrate the construction thereof. Fig. 2 presents a side elevation of my improved machine for applying this cove ering, and Fig. 3 a plan view thereof. Fig.

et is a front elevation or cross-section on the line a; w of Figs. 2 and 3, looking to the left. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation, partly in section, of one pair of rolls, illustrating the formation of the grooves thereof.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, ct a indicate the 8o base or frame of .the machine, on which two pairs or sets of rollers, b b c c, are mounted at a certain distance apart, as illustrated. The rollers of each pair are geared together, and are mounted and journaled in standards, with tighteningscrews, Src., in the ordinary manner of rolls, as illustrated, which needs nospecitic description. lMotion is imparted to the machine by the driving-belt' d, which passes over a driving-pulley, el', on the shaft of the lower 9o roller of the lirst pair, b. This pulley is loose upon the shaft, but engaged therewith by a friction-clutch, d, of any suitable construction, as will be understood. One set of rolls is driven from the other set by the belt e,which passes around pulleys e' e on the shaft o f the lower roller in each set. These pulleys arci also frictionally connected with their shaft by an adjustable friction band or clutch, so that they can be setto any desiredv strain'. This roo around the wire and niet and joined at theA y applied thereto.

fi ictionaldriving-connection ofthe rollers with each other is preferable to a positive connection, as it prcventsinjurious strains on the wire or its covering whilein action, and enables the action ofthe machine to be more easily regulated.

-Now,before describing the general construction and action ofthe machine, itmay be proper to refer to Fig. l to describe the covering which the machine is designed to apply-that is, according to my system I tirstapply to the naked wire g two longitudinal strips, h It, of rubber Vor similar material, which strips are each ofa width equal to half the circumference of the wireor slightly more, and are curveddclosely Now, the machine shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 is ofcourse preferably designed to cover a series of wires simultaneously in the manner described, as seen best in Figs.v3 and 4, and of different sizes. as will be understood. The rollers out and b b are hence provided with a corresponding series of grooves,l l, which are separated some distance from each other, as shown best in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, andare of 'course of such a size as to equal the diameter of the wire plus the thickness of the covering Above and below each pair of rollers, and on the receiving sides of tbesame, is arranged a line of independent bobbins, m m,corresponding with the grooves ofthe rollers, each bobbin being mounted in'a suitable holder, which is adjustable on the bars a it, so that the bobbins may be set in exact relation to or coincident with the grooves of the rollers, as seen best in Fig. 4. The strips ot' rubber with which the wires are to be covered are wound upon and drawn from these bobbins, each of which contains one long closely-coiled strip of the right width to cover half the circumference of the wire, as before stated, and shown best in Figs. 3 and 4, and the bobbins have ofcourse a suit-ableI tension device to retard the unwinding ofthe strips therefrom, as usual in similar cases. In front ofthe first set of rollers is arranged a guide-plate, 0,wl1ich is perforated with holes in line with the grooves of the rollers at the junction-line of the same, through which holes the naked wiresg are drawn from the reelsf, and thence guided into the coinciding grooves ofthe meeting rollers. When the wires are thus entered between the first-pair of rollers the rubber strips h are drawn from the bobbins 911,'guided into the grooves ofthe rollers, and met aroundthe wire at-the junction the revolving rollers, and the strips will be thereby curved around the wires on two sides, met together at the edges, and thus firmly pressed and united around the wire, so as to envelope it i-u a perfect homogeneous tube of rubber in a very rapid and certain manner. The rubber strips, when thus applied, are ofcourse unvulcanized, while the rollers are heated suf'- iciently to soften the rubber and render it adhesive, and the strips are made a little wider or thicker than necessary to ll the grooves of the rollers, so that when thus pressed around the YwireV the strips-will unite perfectly at theirY meeting edges and will be slightly compressed around the wire, s o as to insure a perfect formation to the grooves ofthe rollers and close adhesionto the wire.

It will be noted on reference to Figs. 2 and 4 that the bobbins m m are arranged above and below the rollers, in a position at right angles,or nearly so,to the passage ot' the wires vbetween the rollers, so that the rubber strips hin passing from the bobbins m m, lie in the grooves of the rollers for about one-quarter of the circumference, and the tension on the strips will thus cause them to become curved or bent into the grooves, so as to be formed into semitubes as they approach the wire, and thus adapted to the exact shapevof the wire in advance of their entry between the rollers and theircompression or union upon the wire, thereby causing the flat strips to be guided in a simple and perfect'manner'into the grooves ot' the rollers and around the wire, and preventing all danger of fouling, as will be readily uuderstood.

It may also be noted on reference to Fig. 5 that the rollers are so shaped that a reliefgroove,p, is cut on either side of the forminggroove l, and that the forming-grooves have cutting-edges, which meet together at thejunction-line and discharge into the relief-grooves. Hence by this arrangement the rubber will always be sufficiently compressed Ato form perfectly around the wire without being possible to compress it too much, and all surplus will have free escape at the relief-grooves,and will be cut off smoothly by the cutting-edges,-so that the wire will issue with a perfectly-cylindrical coating of rubber of uniform thickness all around the wire, and with a smooth eXterior, whereas if the forming-grooves were to closely adjoin, with cutting-edges only between them, adapted to press' wide sheets of rubber around a series of wires at the same time and sever the sheets between the wires, as heretofore proposed, the material would have to be displaced or compressed too much between the wires, particularly if the coating were thick, and no relief being provided at the points of compression, the covering would tend to expand after leaving the rollers, producing an Irregular, rough, or misshapen exterior, or the rubber would form in a bunch in advance of the rollers and clog their action, which serious objections are by my system completely/obvi- IZO armato` Y v i ated and rapid and perfect Work insured, whether the covering be thick or thin. Now, when the wires are drawn through the first set of rollers and receive their first coating of ru bber, as described, they are next guided through hollow spindlesr, mounted in bearings on stand- I ards 9,which rise fromthe base a., between the i ,mounted a bobbin7 a, which contains a coil o t' tape or other iibrous material, which, when the spindle revolves, will thus become-wound spirally around the rubber-coated wire as it issues from'the tirst setot' rolls, as seen best in Fig. 2. This tape I prefer to be of ordinary woven cotton saturated with Stockholm tar, and so laid upon the wire that its edges will slightly overlap,`and suflciently warmed as it winds upon the rubber-coated wire to soften the tar and render it adhesive, so as to insure a per- 'ectly water-tight covering. Instead ot' Stockholm tar, however, asphaltum, shellac,or other similar cement may be used, and instead of woven ltape a saturated cord or a strip of saturated paper may be used; but the tarred tape isfpref'erable. As the wires leave the winding-spindles r they are next guided over a grooved roller, t,.arranged in front of the second set of' rolls, and, beingnow provided with the first coating of` rubber and the intermediate coating ot'htape, they are then passed through the second set of rollers, c, where a second set of rubber strips, la k, are drawn from the bobbins m', and thus formed around the wire in the samelmanner as the tirst, thus applying a second. and n'nal coat of rubber over the tirst rubber coat andthe intermediate tape. I prefer to have the inner coat of rubber thinner and ot' a purer quality than the outer; but this is not essential. The grooved roller t serves lnot onlyto guide the wires to the forming-rollers, but also stops the vibration ot` the wires as they enter the rollers,.and thus insures smooth action. The now.. co mpletely-covered wires, after leaving 'the last rollers,c, pass over a telt-covered guide-drum, fu, and thence descend to the vulcanizing rooms or ovens, where they arc laid in large coils until a full charge or certain lengthof cov.

ered wire is passed through-say one or several miles in length-when the machine may be stopped for the day and the product vulcanized, after which the wire is ready for use. It will therefore be seenthat by this system each wire is covered separately or independ- Hentlv, and a whole sei-ies of dit'terently-sized wires may be thus simultaneously covered b.

the one machine 4in a very rapid and simple manner, the action being ot' such a simple, di-

rect nature that there is little liability of clog or derangement at any point. It may .be also noted that as each groove in the rollers is separate from the others, and as each Wire is seized and covered separately and provided with separate bobbins and coveringfstrips adapted to it, hence when the grooves and wires are made of ditt'erent sizes each wire and its covering-strips are allowed their own independent travelthrough the machine, due to their relative size, so that no Wire or its covering is strained to travel uniformly with the others, and the covering is hence laid thereon more perfectly than could be the"case it' a whole series of differently-sized wires were passed in uni-son through clo'sely-grooved rollers,and

covered b v common webs or sheets, which are cut through` and united between the wires, as hasbeen heretofore practiced.

The product of the machine, when finished and vulcanized, as seen in Fig.` l, will be a perfectly-covered wire with a irm,impenetrable.1

coat, perfectly uniform around the wire and smooth and regular on the exterior. The two homogeneous rubber coatings, with` the intermediatetarred envelope, form a perfect protection, both against elect rical leakage and against the penetration ot' moisture to the wire, sothatV the wire thus protected is thoroughly adapted for permanent underground circuits for t-elegraphic or electrical lighting purposes, as well as for temporary circuits laid overhead or on the surface ot' the ground, such as for military telegraphs, &c. The wire may not only be laid upon the surfacel ot' the ground, but also in glitters or carried through streams without objection, and vehicles may be run over it upon the ground withoutdanger of iniury, thus pre senting important advantages for many purposes.

It will be seen on referenceto Fig.3 that the winding-spilulles r are arranged in steppedV or diagonal position between the two sets ofrollers, which arrangement, as willbe understood, gives sucient room for the revolution of the several spindles with their bobbins, yet allows i the wires to be run comparatively close to-` gether, so that a whole series ot' wires maybe covered simultaneously by the same machine without employing very` long rollers. The driving-drum s, from which the spindles are driven, is revolved by the bevel-gearing wand a belt, w', from a pulley on the shalt ot' the lower roller in the second set, as seen best in IOS IIS

one side of the wire; but this strip would be much more difficult to guide into the grooves of the rollers and to form around the wire, and would be much more likely to clog or foul, whereas the two semi-circumferential strips may be formed around the wire in the simplest and most perfect manner without any danger of fouling. In case, however, a single circumferential strip is used, only one cutting-edge and one relief-groove would be required to each forming-groove ofthe rollers; but I do not recommend this modification.

I have described the covering-strips as being of unvulcanized rubber, vulcanized after application, which is of course the most desirable material now known; but any similar machines for doing this have been designed vfor covering but one wire at a time, whereas my machine is designed for covering a series of differently-sized wires simultaneously and independently.

I am also aware that it is quite common to -wrap Wire with 'a spiral winding of cord or thread. I am not aware, however, `that the two aforesaid operations have ever been performed in direct succession upon the same wire and simultaneously during the progress of the wire, as is done by my system, with one organized machine, where the one coating greatly assists and improves the other and renders the covering ofthe wire much stronger and more impervious. It will be readily understood that as the tape is wrapped spirally around the first longitudinal covering strips immediately after the strips are united at their edges after passing between the rollers,

it thereby binds said strips firmly to eachother and to the wire at the time when the rubber is soft and weak,preventing the opening of the joints by the expansion ot' the rubber, to which there is frequent tendency after` leaving the rollers, and it causes the joints in the two coatings toA lie at right angies to each other, the outer joints being spirally overlapping, and hence mutually interlocking, which has the effect ot' makinga Very strong and impervious covering.

I do not here claim the improved covered wire or product of this machine, having reserved this for the subject ot' a separate application.

What I claim is- 1. 'lhe method ofcovering wire hereinspecified, consisting in tirst enveloping the wire with a strip or strips of soft rubber applied longitudinally and bent or curved around the wire and united at theedges; second,winding about said covering-strip, as fast as applied, a spiral wrappiugoffibrous tape, said operations being performed in direct succession and siwith a strip or strips of soft rubber `applied l longitudinally and bent or curved around the .wire and united at the edges; second, winding about said covering-strips, as fast as applied, a spiral wrapping of fibrous tape with its edges spirally overlapping, said operations being performed in direct succession and simultaneously during the progress of the wire, and subsequently vulcaniziug the said covering, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The method specified of covering wire with a triple insulating and impervious coat- 4 its equivalents laid on longitudinally, curved around the wire, and united at the edges, immediately thereafter winding about said covering a spiral winding of fibrous tape provided with a water-proof cement, then applying a second longitudinal covering over said spiral tape in the same manner as lhe first, and finally vulcanizing, substantially as herein set forth.

5. A machine for applying a longitudinal coating to wires, in combination with a superposed spirally-wound coating, consisting in the combination, with a pair of rollers grooved to correspond to the wire with its longitudinal coating, and through which the wire, with its longitudinal coating, is drawn, of a hollow rotary spindle arranged in line with the issue ot' the wire on the delivery side ofthe rollers,with a rotary winding-bobbin carried by said spindle and revolved thereby around the issuing wire, together with means for revolving said rollers, andsuitable operative connections or gearing between said rollers and winding-spindle,whereby the winding-bohbins are revolved simultaneously with the rollers and at such a relative rate that the winding-strip is laid spirally upon the. covered wire as it issues ICO IIO

from the rollers, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. A machine for applying two successive longitudinal coatings to wire with an intermediate wound coating, consisting of two pairs of rollers arranged respectively at some distance fr oin each other, and respectively grooved to admit the wire with its respective and successive coverings, in combination with bobbins for containing the successive longitudinal Vcoveringstrips and delivering them to the grooves of the rollers around the entering wire,itogether with a 4hollow rotary spindle arranged between the rollers in line with the passage of t-he wire from one to the other, and a rotary bohbin for containing the strip for the spiral winding carried by said spindle around the wire. with means for revolving said rollers, and operative gearing or connections between said rollers and spindle, whereby the spindle revolves simultaneous with the rollers and at a relative rate therewith to lay the intermediate winding spirally between the successive longitudinal coatings, substantially as herein shown and described. L

7 In a wire-coverin g machine, the combination, with the feeding or covering rollers b b,

grooved to admit a. series of separate wires, of

the hollow winding-spindles i r and their bobbins u, arranged in stepped or diagonal position .on the delivery side of the roller, substantially as anu for the purpose set forth.

8. In a wirecovering machine,the combination, with two sets of covering-rollers, b b c c, of the vibration-preventing guide-roller t, arranged close to the junction of the second set of rollers and parallel with their j unction-line, over which the wires from the first set ot'` rollers pass in entering the second set, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH D. THOMAS. Witnesses: Y

OHAs. M. HIGGINS,

GHAs. SPIRO. 

